Mile count: 23.66 Back in January I toyed with the idea of swimming to raise funds for Living Vine before my 40th birthday. I thought: 100 miles sounds good. Maybe more. Maybe less. I knew it would be a little more difficult because I was still bouncing back from surgery. I needed some test swims to figure out my ability. During April '24 I underwent abdominal surgery repairing muscles and rearranging things. I was literally on my back for 6 weeks, then in June laying low and regaining my toleration of being upright. I didn't seem to lose much strength or stamina. Fast forward to trying to swim laps in January '25! We got an aquatic center membership and I tested the waters during kids' swim team 3 days a week. I figured out that with a small amount of breaks for drink and stretching, I could do a mile within 55 minutes.  We are sick probably a third of each school year, so I accounted for that when I came up with 40 miles by my 40th. I signed up for Saturday morning yoga to provide some stretching before longer Saturday swims and got swimming. The death of Ronald hit in February which made Living Vine busier than normal, so letters were held off. The focus also changed a bit in March as Hedwick developed a book for a center named after Ronald (more about this in future posts). I was able to finally invite you all in April and May with posts and a letter sent to many. January to the end of May I was able to complete 21 miles! In July I plan to open water swim--that'll be an exciting adventure. I'm plotting how to make myself visible for those unruly jet skis that come too close to the beach. Thank you to all who are supporting this endeavor and I look forward to writing about my progress and reflections on the work in Cameroon! Jennifer Trocke